1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable communication device including cellular phones, personal digital assistants and hand held phones, and more particularly to a portable communication device with a camera lens module inserted thereinto or drawn out therefrom in a pop-up fashion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, “portable communication devices” are electronic devices that are portable and enable users of the devices to communicate wirelessly. The portable communication devices have tended not only toward compactness, slimness and lightness, but also portability. Furthermore, such portable communication devices have been adapted to multimedia, whereby the devices have various additional functions. Additionally, the portable communication devices will be miniaturized, lightweight, multipurpose devices with various functions, which will be modified to be suitable for various multimedia and Internet environments. The portable communication devices are electronic devices commonly used by people of all ages and both sexes all over the world, which are considered as necessities of life.
On the basis of their forms, the portable communication devices may be classified into several types of communication devices. The portable communication devices may be classified into a bar-type communication device, a flip-type communication device, and a folder-type communication device. The bar-type communication device has a bar-type single housing, the flip-type communication device has a bar-type housing and a flip part pivotably attached to the housing, and the folder-type communication device has a bar-type housing and a folder part pivotably attached to the housing. On the basis of a position at or a way in which a user puts it on the device, the portable communication devices may be classified into a necklace-type communication device and a wrist-type communication device. The necklace-type communication device is worn on the neck of a user using a string, and the wrist-type communication device is worn around the wrist of the user. On the basis of ways of opening or closing the terminals, the portable communication devices may be classified into a rotation-type communication device and a sliding-type communication device. In the rotation-type communication device, two housings are rotatably connected to each other while the housings are continuously opposite to each other. The rotation-type communication device is opened or closed by the rotation of the two housings, and the housings are rotated apart from or close to each other. In the sliding-type communication device, two housings longitudinally slide. The sliding-type communication device is opened or closed by the sliding movement of the two housings, and the housings slide apart from or close to each other. The above-described various types of communication devices will be known by a person having an ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains.
The portable communication devices have also been adapted to transmit/receive data at high speed in addition to an audio communication function. Consequently, the portable communication devices will use wireless communication technology for transmitting data at high speed, which will satisfy the increasing desires of the users. It is another increasing trend that a camera lens is adopted in each portable communication device to transmit image signals. The portable communication device has a camera lens module mounted outside or inside a main body of the portable communication device so that a user of the device can talk with another user of the device while looking at each other, or take pictures of his/her desired subjects.
However, the camera lens module of the conventional portable communication device is not protected from the external environment. Thus, a camera lens of the camera lens module may be contaminated by foreign matter introduced in the camera lens module. Since the camera lens is exposed to the outside, it is preferable that the camera lens is protected by means of an additional protecting unit for protecting the camera lens from the external environment.